Chapter 90: A Foolish Scheme’s Checkmate (2)

Rocio’s subordinate, who had been hesitating for a while, finally continued speaking.

“The name, and even the appearance, seem quite similar to the Third Prince.”

“The Third Prince?”

The name Raion could be a coincidence, but the appearance was somewhat different.

Of course, the Black Dagger had never seen the Third Prince Raion’s face clearly—only catching a glimpse of him during the coming-of-age ceremony.

Even then, it had been from a distance, so the memory wasn’t precise.

“Isn’t the Third Prince currently in Kanas Territory? And how could a prince become a Swordmaster?”

“I know it doesn’t make much sense. But the resemblance to what I saw during the ceremony is uncanny.”

It wasn’t a definitive answer.

Besides, from their perspective, such a situation was nearly impossible.

“It’s probably just a resemblance. Still, since there might be contact with Marquis Pelican, we’ll confirm the plan by that date.”

“More than that… Raion Dragonia left the city earlier today with other adventurers.”

“Why didn’t you mention that earlier?”

“I didn’t think things would escalate this much regarding Raion Dragonia.”

“Fine. Do you know where he went?”

“I couldn’t track that far.”

There was no time to investigate Raion Dragonia right away.

“If he went hunting with adventurers, the odds might be slim. The lord, Marquis Kataroan Pelican’s schedule, is three days from now, so we’ll proceed as planned.”

“Understood.”

“Are all the necessary items prepared?”

At that, another subordinate lifted the cloth covering something on the side.

Beneath the cloth was a box.

Inside the box lay swords, arrows, and armor—all made in the style used in the Prios Kingdom.

“Good. You made sure no traces were left behind?”

“I found a smuggler who deals through the north gate. The man was handled cleanly, so there won’t be any problems.”

Once the confirmation was done, Rocio and his subordinates’ expressions hardened with resolve.

It was the northern coastline of the Praizen Territory.

Having arrived there, Raion, Cayman, Allen, Howard, and Aizel began hunting for Sea Serpents.

Shwaaa!

Normally, Sea Serpents would come ashore in groups of only three or four.

But now, their numbers had exceeded twenty.

Standing behind Raion, Aizel shouted.

“Sir Raion! At this rate, aren’t we attracting too many Sea Serpents?”

Up until a moment ago, Aizel had been firing Lightning Arrows, a 2nd-circle spell, one after another.

The electric arrows that spread through the seawater provoked the Sea Serpents, drawing them madly toward the shore.

“Keep going until I tell you to stop.”

“But they’re swarming too much! Shouldn’t you join in, Sir Raion, before it gets out of hand…?”

“If you have time to talk, shoot one more arrow.”

At Raion’s cold tone, Aizel quickly resumed drawing the sigils for the lightning arrows.

Meanwhile, the other three were swinging their swords and blunt weapons frantically along the shore.

Shwaaa! Slash! Shwaaak!

The Sea Serpents’ thick hides were being sliced apart without rest.

It took a great deal of strength, and everyone’s stamina was draining fast.

“Master! If this keeps up, we’re seriously going to die!”

“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”

Raion stood back, protecting Aizel while issuing commands.

Of course, if a truly dangerous moment came, he intended to step in.

For now, he was letting Cayman and the others train under higher difficulty.

Shwaa! Slash! Shwaaa—!

Kyaaaaargh—!

The three moved their weapons rapidly, taking down the Sea Serpents one by one.

Once the number reached a manageable level, Raion raised his hand.

At that signal, Aizel fired her last lightning arrow into the air and stopped.

“Is that enough?”

“That should do.”

Allen and Howard, who had been close to the shore, began to be pushed back little by little.

Cayman was about to finish off a few remaining Sea Serpents to go help them—

—but more of the creatures surged forward.

“Ugh…! Please, just hold on a little longer!”

Even Cayman’s stamina was running out.

Raion watched the scene and shook his head as he stepped forward.

“Honestly… why can’t they move efficiently?”

Shwaaak! Slash—!

Raion’s sword drew a great arc through the air.

Even without aura imbued, its sharpness swept through the Sea Serpents in a blur.

Kyaaaaaah! Kyaaaah—!

That was when Raion’s slaughter began.

Unnecessary movements were completely absent.

The single-edged sword swung with precise brutality, cutting through the Sea Serpents’ necks one by one in a single stroke.

Aizel, watching from behind, was so astonished that her face went blank.

Perhaps it was due to the cold ruthlessness.

The Sea Serpents that had surrounded them began to retreat slightly and fled into the sea.

Only then could Cayman, Allen, and Howard deal with the remaining Sea Serpents and finally feel some relief.

Corpses of the creatures were piled up in every direction.

The monsters’ blood stained the yellow sand a deep red as it flowed toward the sea.

“Hoo… hoo…”

Everyone panted heavily and collapsed on the spot.

“Was it that exhausting?”

“I genuinely thought I was going to die!”

Only Cayman answered; the others sat silently, exhausted.

“At this rate, the reward will be considerable. I’ll give it all to the three of you.”

At that, Allen turned in surprise.

“But even this time, it would have been dangerous if it weren’t for Sir Raion.”

“I made it that way. And the harder the work, the bigger the reward.”

“No, it’s just… I never imagined hunting in this way.”

“I truly thought we’d die.”

At first, everyone had been skeptical of Raion’s method.

But once the Sea Serpents surged in frenzied numbers, their bodies had no choice but to react first.

“Since the risk is high, the reward should match. Let’s wrap up today’s hunt here and take a rest. Cayman and I need to go somewhere briefly.”

It was late at night after hunting.

It seemed odd that they would go off separately when sleep was already scarce.

“Where exactly are you going?”

“That’s a secret. Don’t worry about it, and avoid dangerous hunts until we return.”

In the meantime, Cayman got up, gathering his things.

“But what about these Sea Serpents?”

Allen couldn’t possibly transport over fifty Sea Serpents by himself.

“I’ll take care of them for now. After disposing of them at the castle, we’ll give the reward. Warehouse!”

As space opened, all the Sea Serpent corpses vanished into it.

Seeing that, Allen, Howard, and Aizel were astonished once again.

They had seen it before, but it was still incredible.

“A pouch containing storage magic… this is truly amazing.”

Of course, they thought it was thanks to Raion’s magical tool rather than his ability.

“There’s no chance of them escaping with it, so don’t worry.”

“We wouldn’t even think of that. We’ll rest a little here and then return to Praizen Castle.”

“Alright. I’ll finish my business and follow you back.”

Raion sheathed his sword and began to move.

Cayman prepared himself and followed behind.

Several days later.

The lord of Praizen, Marquis Kataroan Pelican, was inspecting the northern coastline.

Four knights of the territory and ten soldiers were assigned as his escort.

He inspected each outpost along the coast, spaced at regular intervals, checking for any issues.

Night deepened.

Veritad, the knight commander, concerned for the Marquis, approached him.

“My lord, how about ending today’s inspection here and staying at the outpost for the night?”

The Marquis shook his head at the suggestion.

“The soldiers are on high alert because of me. We must finish quickly and return to the castle.”

The inspection was scheduled for three days, and today was to reach the next outpost.

But Veritad worried about the health of Marquis Kataroan.

“You must not overexert yourself.”

“You force the soldiers so strictly that I have no choice but to act like this.”

Slightly embarrassed, Veritad scratched the back of his head.

“I don’t force them. They maintain the outposts thoroughly on their own.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? You’ve been guarding my side for thirty years.”

As the commander of the territory’s forces, Veritad oversaw all soldiers, especially during inspections.

“This is necessary for the coastal defense facing Praizen.”

“You are thorough in everything, so that makes sense. Let’s proceed to the next outpost.”

Meanwhile, the carriage continued moving.

As it passed between two outposts—

Shwaaaak!

Arrows flew from the coastline.

Catching the wind, Veritad urged his horse forward and deflected the arrows with his sword.

Chak-cheng! Chak-chak-cheng! Papapak!

However, most soldiers could not block or dodge the arrows and fell.

“Intruders! Soldiers at the front and rear, quickly reinforce the outposts and call for backup!”

The arrows were identified as being from the Prios Kingdom.

Recognizing this, some soldiers moved to call for reinforcements.

But arrows then flew from the inner forest, hitting them.

Papak! Pak!

“Have the enemies already infiltrated the forest?”

Veritad spoke to the carriage.

“My lord! Do not dismount under any circumstances!”

He dismounted, keeping watch around him.

In the darkness, charging blindly toward the enemies would be too dangerous.

“Everyone, stay alert!”

He focused his gaze toward the coastline first.

The moon was completely hidden by clouds, making it impossible to see the enemies’ positions.

At that moment, more arrows flew from the coastline.

Shwaaaak! Shwaaaak!

Veritad and the knights blocked the attacks while keeping their guard toward the forest as well.

“Where on earth are they planning to appear from?”

“Five soldiers have been hit. They’re not dead yet, though…”

The number of enemies was unknown.

They could not recklessly enter the forest or the sea to find them.

“Ugh… judging by the arrows, they’re from the Prios Kingdom. Could they really have invaded? But if it were a raid, it wouldn’t be like this.”

If the enemies had come ashore, their presence would likely be visible.

Yet only arrows continued to fly, merely probing and keeping them in check.

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